


jj's birthday

by beware_of_you



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: David Rossi is the ultimate team dad, Emily Prentiss can't cook bread, Emily is super soft for her little family, Emily is the best girlfriend, Emily with kids!!!, F/F, Family Fluff, Garcia once again is the number one best friend, Honestly 20/10 woman, Honestly just read this for the extra serotonin, I love them all sm, JJ gets a break, Mentions of Emily's encounter with Doyle, Reid cheats at poker, Reid eats a lot of cheesecake, Tara Matt and Luke are also so supprotive, There's also soft EmilyxJJ smut, They're great too, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, almost as much as he loves cheesecake, and is just an ultimate nerd, and the coolest, and with JJ, brief mentions of JJ's past, but its great, but none of the angst is /really/ angst, he loves Emily and JJ and the boys so much its so cute, he loves his god sons sm, he rants about yoda, he's great, he's such a supportive man, including mentions of her ptsd and her sister, it's all fluffy i promise, it's super fluffy, its quarantine time and i want cheesecake, like she deserves, she's adorable with the kids, she's such a soft mom, she's the greatest godmother, there's also mention of JJ's family disowning her
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2020-03-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:48:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23267227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beware_of_you/pseuds/beware_of_you
Summary: emily, henry and michael work together to give jj the best birthday she's ever had.it's super soft and full of family fluff, cute gays with kids, tons of BAU family fluff, soft girlfriends being soft girlfriends and just general feel good mush because honestly these people need a goddamn break from all the trauma they've been canonically put through. there's no angst and no one is suffering for once, just some down to earth, feel good, sweet fluff that's perfect for quarantine time. remember kids, practice social distancing, wash ur hands and stay safe out there xx
Relationships: Jennifer "JJ" Jareau/Emily Prentiss
Comments: 7
Kudos: 166





	jj's birthday

The acidic, bitter scent of something burning and the start of the sharp, blaring fire alarm has Jennifer Jareau bolting straight out of bed without second thought. She just barely checks beside her for her partner, heart sinking when she notes the empty bed. Throwing open the door to her bedroom, she next checks her son's rooms, nerves rising when she, too, finds those empty. Starting to head for the steps, she wrinkles her nose at the now recognizable smell of burnt food.

"Henry? Michael? Emily?" she calls out as she maneuvers quickly down the steps, nearly running over her youngest child in the process as he tackles her leg with hug. "Morning, mommy!" he beams up at her happily.

Eyes softening and allowing herself to relax from her earlier scare, she picks up the four year old with a smile. She gives him a hug and places a kiss on his cheek, smile widening when he giggles. "Happy birthday!" he cries out, now smothering her face in kisses

Unable to stop herself, the blonde laughs happily, tickling his sides until the young boy is shrieking with laughter. "Thank you, baby," she replies, holding him in her arms as she starts for the kitchen. "Where's your brother and Emily?"

"No!" Michael gasps when she starts to move, squirming in her arms and blocking her path when she finally sets him down.

"No?" JJ questions, eyebrows raising in alarm at the toddler's actions. She folds her arms across her chest. "What do you mean "no?" she questions her son incredulously.

"You're not 'opposed to go in there," Michael tells her in a matter-of-fact tone, placing his hands on his hips. "You're 'opposed to still be in bed!"

"Supposed," the blonde corrects her son patiently, trying her best not to look amused at her son's posture. "Why am I not allowed to be in the kitchen?"

"Be-cause," Michael starts out, dragging the word out dramatically. "It's a surprise for your birthday! You're not _supposed_ to see yet!"

"Oh, I see," the blonde murmurs, kneeling down to her son's level. "Well, can I stay here and ask if everything's okay?"

The young boy places a finger under his chin, a concentrated frown forming on his face before he nods. "Yeah, that's okay. Just don't peak in there!"

"Scout's honor," JJ swears, holding up two fingers and crossing her heart with an "X" with her free hand, smiling when her son giggles. "Henry? Emily? You two okay in there?" she calls out.

"We're good!" Emily yells back over the alarm quickly, at the same time Henry replies, "Emily did it!"

JJ has to bite her lip to stop herself from snickering as the situation dawns on her. She figures, yet again, her girlfriend was bested by the toaster (despite her going toe to toe with some of the most deranged and dangerous criminals in the world and coming out the other side with mere scrapes and bruises). The fire alarm stops blaring and she's able to hear Emily mutter, "Tattletale," to Henry, and quietly giggles under her breath.

"We're okay, mom!" Henry continues. "Go back up to bed and we'll call you when it's ready!"

"Will you guys be okay in there? No fire department?" JJ calls back teasingly, grinning when her sons laugh and her girlfriend yells out an offended, "Hey!"

"I got it, mom!" the twelve year old promises. "Go relax!"

"You're not allowed to do anything on your birthday!" Emily adds in a sing-song voice, laughing at something Henry must have done (most likely made a face at her antics).

"Okay, okay, I surrender! I'll go back to bed," JJ promises with her palms up in a peaceful gesture, standing up. "Can I at least get a cuddle buddy?" she asks Michael, offering out her arms to him.

"Let me see if they need any more help," the toddler asks excitedly, quickly bounding into the kitchen. There's some whispering, some giggles from her children that causes her to smile widely, and then Michael comes back from the kitchen, eagerly grabbing her hand. "Let's go!"

JJ follows Michael back to the bedroom without question, giving his head a kiss when he snuggles up with her in the bed. Reaching over on the side table, the young boy turns on the TV and hits the numbers for the channel Nick Jr. He seems satisfied with what's on—Paw Patrol—and turns to look up at his mother seriously. "I put it on because it's your favorite and it's your birthday, so you get to pick. I don't even like Paw Patrol anymore," he insists.

Biting back an amused smile, JJ kisses the side of his head. "Oh, okay, well thank you for picking my favorite," she replies as seriously as she can, wrapping her arms around her son securely as they both focus on the adventures of a group of hero puppies.

She enjoys small moments like this with her kids, simply sitting around with them and being in their company. Especially with the boys both getting older, these moments are rare and far in between, but she wouldn't trade them for anything in the world. It reassures her that she's doing the right thing, that despite the hardships they all had faced in life: despite her divorce from Will, despite the boys spending their lives between two homes, despite her being in a serious relationship with Emily, and despite losing several family members through the years _because_ of that relationship, that the boys still loved and cared for her as much as she does them.

"Mikey! Mom!" Henry calls up the stairs, snapping the blonde from her thoughts. "It's ready!"

Michael shoots out of bed eagerly, turning off the TV quickly and bouncing by the bedside. "Mommy, mommy, come on!" he says excitedly, holding onto her hand and dragging her to the steps. He pauses for a moment, looking back at her. "Close your eyes!" he says.

"Let me get down the stairs before I do that," she says with a laugh. "I don't want to fall!"

"Okay, fine!" the young boy relents, leading his mother down the stairs quickly, practically vibrating from his excitement as he waits for her. "Now close them!"

After doing what Michael says, JJ lets the toddler lead her to the kitchen, smile on her face as she listens to the young boy's instructions. "Okay and...stop!" he commands, lightly pulling down on her wrist to stop her from walking. He lets go of her wrist when he seems satisfied she isn't moving.

JJ hears the distinct pitter patter of light footsteps as Michael runs and jumps into (she assumes) Emily's arms. There's a sound of the older woman placing a kiss on the young boy's cheek and Michael giggling before Henry says, "Okay, mom, you can open them!"

The first thing she notices when she opens her eyes is her small family standing beside the table, everyone still in their pjs. Emily's holding a beaming Michael and Henry standing beside them, looking just as excited as the other two. The next thing she spots is the table, laid out with a small assembly of scrambled eggs, bacon, toast and fresh fruit, one plate already made up with a small balloon with "Happy Birthday!" on it attached to the coffee mug. There's two gifts there, one wrapped somewhat neatly and the other wrapped up as best as a four year old can do. As she looks past the three smiling people in front of her, she just makes out a bright red bow attached to a brand new Keurig coffee pot.

It's so simplistic, yet the whole scene nearly brings her to tears. She does actually start to tear up when the three most important people in her life start singing "Happy Birthday" to her, Henry coming over and giving her a huge hug first when the song ends. "Happy birthday, mom!" he says, giving her a kiss on the cheek and an envelope. She places a kiss on the top of his head, ruffling his hair lovingly.

"Thank you guys..." she starts off emotionally, taking Michael off Emily when the brunette hands him over, hugging him gratefully and giving him a kiss on the cheek. She turns when Emily places a hand at the small of her back, meeting her lips for a chaste kiss. "This is the best birthday ever."

"You can't say that. You haven't even opened your presents yet," Henry says with a grin, wrapping his arms around both his mother and Emily, trapping them all in another hug.

JJ smiles and places another kiss on his head. "I'm with the three people I love the most. It's already perfect," she says softly.

"You'll still open the presents though, right?" Michael asks, causing both women to laugh.

"Of course, baby. I'll open my presents after we eat," she promises, setting him down. She goes to get Michael a plate when Emily gently places her hands over the blonde's, stopping her. "Go on and sit down, I got him," the brunette murmurs gently, reassuring JJ with a kiss.

"Okay," the blonde murmurs back with a soft smile, slowly sitting down at her spot at the table.

It's nice to be like this, quietly eating her breakfast with her sons and girlfriend so comfortably like this. Not for the first time, she feels incredibly lucky that her sons responded to her relationship with the brunette so positively, and how equally lucky she is that Emily fit into their daily routine almost effortlessly. She takes the boys to school just as much as JJ herself or Will do, shows up to just as many of their sporting and school functions, helps with homework and simply helps take care of the boys without question or complaint. The blonde knows that the brunette loves the boys just as much as her sons love her, cannot be any happier with the close bond that they all have.

"Mommy, do you like the eggs?" Michael asks after a few minutes. "I made them all by myself!" he tells her proudly. After a moment, he admits, "Well, Henry helped me cook them, but I cracked them all by myself!"

"They're delicious," the blonde assures her son with a smile, wiping her mouth with a napkin and sipping at her coffee. "Did you do the bacon, Henry?"

"Uh-huh," the eleven year old says proudly. "And cut the fruit. Emily _was_ in charge of the toast but then she kept burning it, so I had to trade her," he adds in teasingly, smirking over at the brunette.

"Hey, in my defense, I can never cook bread right in that thing. That toaster's got it out for me, I swear," Emily defends herself, scowling when everyone giggles at her response. "What, it's true!"

"One day, you'll get it down, babe," JJ teases, reaching over and gently squeezing her girlfriend's leg reassuringly.

"It's supposed to go on 3," Michael tells Emily, hiding his mouth behind his hand to hide his giggles.

"I did it on 3!" the brunette swears. "And it still burnt!"

Giving Emily's knee a few reassuring taps, JJ moves and grabs her girlfriend's hand, squeezing her fingers. "It's okay, at least we didn't have to call the fire department this time," she says with a grin, giving the older agent a kiss on her cheek when she pouts. "Thank you guys so much," she says more seriously, setting down her fork on her empty plate. "Breakfast was incredible."

"Present time?" Michael asks eagerly, pushing his own empty plate away from him.

"Present time," JJ confirms with a smile, looking over the wrapped items in front of her. "Does it matter which one I open first?"

"Emily got you a coffee pot," Michael deadpans, pointing over to the Keurig on the opposing counter.

"I saw," JJ nods, smiling and giving Emily's fingers another squeeze as a thanks. "Thank you."

"You liked the one at the office so much, so I thought you deserved one here," Emily says with a small smile, reciprocating the squeeze with a softer one of her own. There's a certain look in her eyes, tone to her voice that JJ can't decipher. She gently raises an eyebrow in silent question, wondering if things are okay.

Smiling genuinely and giving her girlfriend's hand another squeeze, Emily nods towards the envelope. "Go ahead and open that one first," she murmurs.

"Yeah, that one!" Michael agrees so eagerly, JJ can't help but smile at his excitement. "Okay, boss man," she teases, using what little nails she does have to slit open the top of the envelope, pulling out the homemade card inside.

One glance and she knows that it is _most definitely_ going on display on her desk at the office; she's way too proud of it not to show it off. "Happy Birthday Mommy!" is written in Michael's scrawly handwriting on the front in crayon, a giant, blue and green heart drawn below the words. When she opens up the inside, she tears up again at the drawing of herself and Emily flanking each of her sons, all the stick figures done in different colors of crayon. The message on the inside is a simple, "I love you!" with another heart at the end of the sentence. It's by no means a DaVinci painting, but it's the most precious piece of art JJ's ever been given, and _certainly_ one of the best.

"There's more!" Michael insists as JJ goes to thank him, the small child leaning over and handing her the messily wrapped package with a grin.

Sniffing and swallowing audibly, the blonde manages to hold back her tears as she opens the present carefully, taking care to untie the twine wrapped around the tiny box inside. Opening up the lid, she gently gasps at the homemade adjustable bracelet on the inside. It's blue, green and brown twine braided together, with small, colorful beads interlocked in the middle of the bracelet at every other knot.

"Auntie Penelope helped me make it," Michael says proudly. "Do you like it?"

"Come here, you!" JJ says softly, offering her arms out for her youngest child. She hugs him tightly and kisses his head, wiping her tears with her freehand. "I love it so much!" she replies honestly, allowing the toddler to help put the bracelet on her, adjusting the strands until it lays comfortably on her left wrist. "It's beautiful."

"Good!" Michael responds happily, sitting in his mother's lap as she reaches for Henry's gift.

The older child is watching her as she opens the gift nervously, knee bouncing up and down anxiously. Emily reaches across and gently squeezes his arm, giving him a reassuring smile. He seems to relax at this, glancing over at Emily with a small smile before turning back to his mother.

JJ can feel the coolness of the glass frame under her fingertips as she unwraps her third gift, opening it with the picture facing the ground. Placing the trash beside her, the blonde carefully flips over the picture frame so that it's facing her and stares at it in amazement. "Oh, Henry..." she murmurs in shock, hand coming up to cover her mouth as she looks at the picture Henry drew her.

It's a picture of Venice, Italy that she would have honestly mistaken as a photograph if she didn't get a closer look and see Henry's signature at the bottom of the drawing. It's done in colored pencils, she doesn't have to look too hard to know that. They're Henry's favorite medium to work with. She had known her son had become an amazing artist; she's seen his sketchbooks and has several of his awards for his artistic achievements displayed proudly in the living room. He even has some of his artwork displayed at the BAU office, both in Emily and Rossi's (he had bought one of Henry's pieces at a local art gallery) offices and on Reid and Garcia's desks. She can tell from the picture that it had taken her son quite some time to do; it's so realistic, she almost feels like she's _in_ Venice.

"It's not my best," Henry starts off sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "The water could be better."

JJ shakes her head harshly, biting her lip as her eyes start to water again. "No way, this is your best work yet, Henry," she murmurs honestly.

"You think so?" the boy asks shyly, ducking his head when his mother nods through her tears.

"I told you she'd love it," Emily reassures Henry with a grin, rubbing his arm proudly. "It looks _exactly_ like Venice."

Henry's cheeks turn pink at the praise, his smile wide and proud.

"Come here," JJ murmurs through her tears, giving her older son a tight hug and a kiss on his cheek. "It's going on display at my desk at work, both of these are. They're too beautiful to not be seen by everyone," she murmurs to her sons, sniffling when they hug her tighter. "I love you guys so much. Thank you."

"Happy birthday, mom," Henry replies softly, giving her one more hug before sitting back down beside Emily. "We love you."

"All the way to Pluto and back!" Michael confirms happily, squishing JJ in a tight hug. He pauses for a moment, turning to Emily and reaching out for her, "We love you, too, Emily!"

Instead of a verbal reply, the brunette takes the toddler in her arms and gives him a hug, kissing the side of his head. She takes JJ's hand across the table and smiles, "So, what do you feel like doing today?"

JJ hums in thought, resting her elbow up on the table and resting her cheek in her palm. Part of her just wants to stay here all day with her children and her girlfriend, cuddle up with them on the couch and watch Disney movies. But the other half of her wants to go out and do something, spend some quality time doing something fun with them.

Turning her head slightly and glancing up at Emily with her notorious begging baby blues, the blonde smiles hopefully. "We could go to the arcade at the mall..."

"Mo-om! It's supposed to be what you want to do!" Henry points out with a grin.

Now turning to her oldest son, JJ smirks softly, shrugging innocently. "Maybe I want to go to the arcade just to school you all in air hockey, play a game of laser tag, play a few other games...just spend time with you guys."

At the mention of laser tag, Henry's eyes light up and JJ, unable to stop herself, grins at her son's reaction. "Well, if that's what you _really_ want to do..." he starts off, trying not to sound _too_ excited about the inevitable laser tag game.

"I'm on mommy's team!" Michael calls out automatically, reaching out and grabbing his mother's arm firmly. He giggles when she reaches over and tickles him in response.

"We got this game in the bag," Emily tells Henry with a playful smirk, holding her hand up and offering the other boy a high five. She grins when Henry eagerly nods, giving her a high five. "You guys are going down!" she jokes, poking Michael gently in the sides, smile widening as he giggles and squirms away from her.

"Nu-uh," the younger boy says defiantly. "Me and mommy are gonna win!"

"We'll just have to see when we get there," Henry teases, playfully ruffling his little brother's hair.

JJ stands up to briefly give her kids a kiss on the top of their heads, "Why don't you two go ahead and get dressed and we'll head out here soon," she says.

"You sure? We can help Emily clean up," Henry offers.

"Nah, you boys go ahead and get ready. I got it," Emily waves him off with a reassuring smile.

"Okay," Henry relents, turning to head up to his room, letting Michael pass him on the stairs as he pauses. "Don't let her do anything, Emily!" he reminds the brunette before he goes upstairs.

"Are you really not going to let me anything to help clean up?" JJ asks teasingly.

"No can do. You heard Henry. Besides, all I have to do is a few dishes and put away the leftover fruit," Emily shrugs with a slight smirk. "No big deal."

She moves over to JJ, bending down and giving her head a kiss. "Are you sure you'll be okay with laser tag?" she asks, trying not to sound _too_ worried about it. She doesn't want to treat her girlfriend as if she's weak, but can't help but become slightly concerned for JJ at the prospect of the game possibly triggering her PTSD.

"I'll be okay," the blonde murmurs reassuringly, reaching out and grabbing both of Emily's hands, pulling her down to give her a proper kiss. "Are you okay? You seemed a bit off when Michael said you got me the coffee pot."

"I'm okay," the brunette assures her girlfriend, sitting down in the seat nearest to the blonde. She lets go of one of JJ's hands to fish around in the pocket of her pajamas until she produces a small box. She gently sets it down on the table, smile soft, "It just wasn't the only present I got you."

Confused and a bit surprised, JJ looks over at Emily in shock, going to open her mouth to ask a question when her girlfriend gently shakes her head. The brunette clears her throat, cheeks a bit pink, "It's not... that." A pause, and her cheeks turning a bit darker, Emily continues, "Yet." Nudging the box closer to JJ, her voice is softer when she gently commands, "Open it."

Taking the small box into her hand, the blonde gently runs her finger over the blue velvet before she slowly pops open the top. Inside the box is a simple gold-banded ring with gemstones she immediately recognizes as Henry's and Michael's birthstones. They're oval shaped, surrounded by a pair of what seem to be wings with another gemstone. This one is smaller and sits perfectly in the middle of the wings. When JJ realizes what it is, she covers her mouth with one hand.

The gemstone is Rosaline's birthstone.

Clearing her throat and exhaling slowly, Emily gently murmurs, "I know there's some days that are really difficult for you because you miss her, and there's other days that are hard because it's too painful for you to remember. But I also know there's days that are hard for you to get through because you don't have anything for her, something positive to remember her by..."

She pauses and holds her hand out for the box, which JJ gives over, her expression still one of shock. But Emily sees the tears starting to form in her eyes and gives her hand a tight, comforting squeeze. She takes the ring from the box, showing that it's split down in the middle so that the ring with the boys' stones and the one with her sister's can be worn separately. "I know that you've wanted one for the boys for a while now, and I know you missed having something for her. If you ever have one of those hard days, you can wear just the one for Henry and Michael," Emily explains softly, leaning in close to show the blonde how the rings separate. She gently puts them back together and sets it back in the box, not wanting to overwhelm her girlfriend by slipping the ring on her finger. Not without her permission or confirmation.

Instead of a verbal response, JJ reaches out and cups Emily's cheek with one hand, pulling her in for a passionate kiss that leaves the brunette breathless. Hand tangling in the long, almost black strands of hair, JJ pulls away with tears streaming down her face, biting down on her bottom lip. "I love it so much," she croaks out softly, turning her head and kissing Emily's palm when the older woman gently brushes away her tears. "I love _you_ so much."

"I love you," Emily replies just as gently, using her fingers to move back strands of blonde from her girlfriend's face. "Do you like it?"

"I love it," the younger woman corrects quietly, shaking her head and wiping her tears with her freehand. There's a silent question when Emily catches JJ's eyes, and the blonde nods without asking her to elaborate. The brunette takes her girlfriend's hand, placing the ring on her left middle finger carefully. She holds onto the blonde's hand as they both admire the ring, the older woman murmuring, "It's beautiful."

"It's perfect," JJ confirms with a small nod, giving her girlfriend's fingers a squeeze before pulling her into a tight, grateful hug. "I. Love. You. So. Much," the blonde murmurs, punctuating each word with a kiss before her head rests on the brunette's shoulder. Emily's arms wrap comfortably around the younger woman's frame, placing a loving, lingering kiss on her temple.

Rubbing her girlfriend's arm assuringly and giving her one more gentle kiss, Emily murmurs, "Go upstairs and get ready. I'll be up in a minute."

Finally standing up from her chair and taking her coffee mug, JJ gives the brunette's fingers a parting squeeze. She goes over and sets up the frame and card from her children up on the table by the front door, making a mental note to take them with her to work tomorrow before she heads up the stairs.

The drive to the mall is nothing short of eventful, with the boys both eagerly talking over the radio, Emily doing an overly dramatic sing-along to "When Will My Life Begin" from _Tangled_ and JJ sitting back, grinning and rolling her eyes at her children's (and even more so her girlfriend's) antics. However, _nothing_ can compare to the absolute insanity that goes down at the laser tag course at the arcade.

They're the only four people in the small, indoor arena that's themed like a cartoonish Wild West set. The room is cast into darkness, save for the black lights overhead that makes details on the set, as well as their vests, guns and foam cowboy hats (which Emily is only wearing _because_ she's an absolute god damn sucker for not only JJ's puppy dog eyes, but the boys' as well) glow. The blonde and her younger son are taking the game entirely too seriously, almost immediately getting a point on Emily's and Henry's vests before ducking off into the fake tumbleweeds and fake buildings. Within minutes, it's clear that the younger boy and woman are absolutely _demolishing_ the older duo, Henry once again getting a hit from Michael before he hides with Emily behind a fake horse drawn carriage.

"We are getting our butts kicked," the eleven year old whispers to Emily, who is sitting down beside him with just as many hits on her own vest as he does. She smiles sheepishly, peeking her head around the corner of the wooden structure, "That's one way of putting it. They're really taking this seriously, huh?"

Henry adjusts his hat, exhaling with a smile. "That's putting it a bit mildly. Think if we ditch the hats we might have a shot at this?"

The brunette reaches over and pats his shoulder sympathetically. "I think we got to cut our losses here, kiddo. There's no way we're making a come back from this game."

"You think we got a shot at any others?"

Emily snorts lowly, grinning over at the boy wryly. "With the way they're playing? Not a chance in the world."

Henry shrugs his shoulders and grins back. "We let them win," he says in such a convincing tone that without the look in his eyes, the brunette almost believes him.

"Because it's your mom's birthday," Emily concludes with a nod. "Sounds good." Giving the boy's shoulder another squeeze, the brunette smirks playfully, "Come on, let's go try and lose with some dignity."

Nudging the older woman just as playfully, Henry nods and scrambles with Emily from their hiding spot, both of them managing to each get a hit on JJ and Michael before their vests buzz, signaling that they're both out of hits.

The next few games go basically the same way. At one point, there's a game that's super close, with everybody only having one hit left on their vests, but just as Henry's going to _finally_ get a winning point for himself and Emily, Michael shoots our from behind a fake bush and takes them both out in rapid succession.

The rest of the afternoon is spent at the arcade, the four playing various games in the place. Emily only seems to be good at air hockey, but she could care less that she's sucking ass at every other game they all play. Her girlfriend and her sons are having a fun time, and really that's all she cares about. They accumulate a large quantity of tickets (half in part of Michael hitting the Monster Jackpot on Slam-a-Winner _three_ times in a row and Henry being a ski-ball pro). In fact, the group has enough tickets at the end of their trip that JJ's able to pick out the lava lamp as a prize (shut up, she finds it oddly mesmerizing to look at) and the boys are able to pick out decent prizes themselves. After a quick lunch at the food court and a few hours of browsing around the dozens upon dozens of stores, they head home, stopping by a Baskin Robins at Emily's suggestion.

Michael is out as soon as they get back in the car, sleeping the whole ride back home (which lasts _forever_ due to the traffic, but JJ finds she doesn't mind, especially with her girlfriend and older child entertaining her with conversation and a particularly nerdy sing-a-long session to the Wicked soundtrack).

Emily offers to take Michael inside and picks him up as soon as they arrive back to JJ's house, careful to grab the stuffed giraffe he picked out at the arcade as his prize.

"You would have thought the ice cream would have kept him up," the brunette jokes lightly to the blonde, appreciatively ruffling Henry's hair when he shuts the car door for her, a Teen Titans comic he hadn't owned previously in his hand (his prize from the arcade).

"I think he just crashed in the middle of the traffic jam," JJ shrugs, gently running a finger through her younger son's hair before giving her older son a side hug. She pauses for a moment on the way up to the door, key ring sliding down her finger as she stops twirling it, furrowing her eyebrows at something across the street.

"Babe? You okay?" Emily asks, stopping to look back at her girlfriend carefully.

"Yeah, yeah, I just..." JJ frowns deeper, pointing to a vehicle parked a couple yards down the block. "Is that Spence's car?"

"I think the neighbor's son just got a new car," Henry supplies casually with a shrug. "Can I unlock the door?"

At her son's response, JJ becomes more perplexed. "The same make, model and color as Reid's? And with the exact same window stickers on the back windshield?" She shakes her head before turning to Emily questionably. "Why is Spence here?"

The brunette just smiles apologetically, leaning in and pressing a chaste kiss to the blonde's lips, passing the house key to Henry. "I love you, remember that," she says as the eleven year old goes to unlock the front door.

"I love you too, but what does that have to do with—" JJ starts off, only slightly jumping when Henry opens the door and the rest of the BAU team is standing there with huge grins, Penelope at the forefront with her arms folded and a smirk on her face. "Surprise! Happy birthday!" she almost squeals.

The other blonde agent, unable to stop the smile spreading on her face, turns to Emily and narrows her eyes accusingly. "You bitch..."

Michael stirs at the sound of his godmother's voice, opening his eyes and mumbling sleepily, " 'hat's a bad 'ord, momma." Yawning and rubbing his eyes, he sits up in Emily's arms. " 's Pop-Pop [Rossi] here yet?"

"Knew I was the favorite," the eldest member of the team smirks as the four enter the house. The younger child squirms in Emily's arms until she sets him down, immediately running over to greet Rossi with a hug.

"You two knew about this, too?" JJ asks her sons in her best "mom" voice, but a huge smile is on her face as Tara, Matt, and Penelope all greet her with a hug.

Henry rocks back on his heels, grinning when Luke messes up his hair. "May-be," he drags out innocently, ducking out of Luke's reach with a grin.

"I told them not to go over the top!" Emily defends herself with a wide smile, palms up in a peaceful gesture. JJ looks around the house, covered with several balloons, confetti, can smell the delicious food in the kitchen, hears the bluetooth speaker playing a Backstreet Boys track in the background and smiles teasingly. "I can tell. You guys didn't have to do this."

"We wanted to," Tara assures her genuinely.

"And you're out of your mind if you think I'm not throwing a party for my best friend on her birthday!" Garcia says, giving JJ one more hug before releasing her with a grin.

Reid comes out of the kitchen at the sound of the commotion, running up and tackling JJ into a massive hug. "Ahh, happy birthday, JJ!" he practically yells, which causes the blonde to start laughing.

"Slow down there, Spence, I'm not running off anywhere," she teases the youngest member of the team affectionately, pulling out of his hug. The younger man quickly puts something on her head and sprints a few feet away when JJ lets out a startled, "Hey!" She reaches up, her hand jolting away in surprise when she feels soft material underneath of her fingertips. When it dawns on her just what Reid placed on her head, her eyes narrow warningly at him. "What the hell did you put on my head?"

Luke and Emily snicker at her reaction, Tara trying to hide her smile behind her glass of wine when Michael yelps out, "Bad word, mommy!" JJ shoots a playful glare over at her girlfriend, which only makes Luke bust out laughing. Emily makes a face and swats immaturely at the younger agent, discreetly flipping him off when JJ turns back to Reid.

"The party hat," he answers with an innocent grin.

"You got to keep it on, mom! It's the rules," Henry calls out with a giggle.

Eyes narrowing further, JJ waves an accusatory finger at her other best friend. "How long have you've been waiting to get me back for making you wear one of these on your 24th?"

Curls bouncing when he shakes his head, the accused man smirks back, "I've worn mine each birthday after that— it's actually really comfortable. But, for the record, at _least_ 18 years."

JJ rolls her eyes dramatically, sighing   
comically at her son's earlier statement. "Okay, fine. I'll keep the stupid hat on."

"It's certainly a look on you, _bella_ ," Rossi teases lightly as he finally greets the blonde with a warm hug, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, careful to adjust the hat accordingly. "Happy birthday."

"Thanks, Dave," JJ replies softly, relaxing in his embrace. "Did you bring food over?"

"And the alcohol. I'd be a terrible Italian if I didn't," he jokes as he releases her from his hug. "Go on and get something to eat, everyone," he shoos everyone towards the kitchen.

Matt, Luke and Henry, not having to be told twice, eagerly make a dash to the kitchen. Tara follows close behind, a bit calmer, but easily looking just as excitable as the boys had—Rossi's cooking had that effect on everybody. Penelope rubs JJ's upper back, giving her best friend a kiss on the cheek before heading off to the kitchen herself. Michael, now in his "Uncle Spence's" arms, turns to Rossi questionably. "Pop-Pop, did you make your spaghetti?"

"Of _course_ I did!" Rossi tells the toddler, smile wide when the young boy hisses out excitedly, "Yes!" The oldest member of the team ruffles the boy's hair affectionately, disappearing with Reid into the doorway, leaving Emily and JJ alone in the front room.

The blonde goes up to her girlfriend, reaching up to peck her cheek. "I love you," she murmurs, reaching down to grab Emily's hand. "Thank you."

"This was all Penelope, maybe Spencer," Emily deflects with a smile. She laces their fingers together, "I love you, too."

The blonde shakes her head, chuckling breathily. "No, no it's not for that it's..." She shrugs, glancing adoringly up at her girlfriend. "For everything you did for me today, what you do every day. For being you."

Wrapping an arm around her girlfriend's waist and giving her a loving squeeze, Emily kisses the top of her girlfriend's head before leading her into the kitchen.

It's nice enough for everyone to eat outside on the patio, Emily turning on the tiny fairy lights that wrap around the railing that surrounds the area. JJ's sitting beside her girlfriend and Michael, is smiling at a story Tara is telling. At a particular part, she laughs, hears a similar sound coming from all around the table, sipping at her glass of wine.

When they're done eating, Michael goes off with Luke and Matt in the grass in the enclosed yard, kicking a soccer ball around playfully. Henry is sitting off in the corner with Spence, Garcia and Emily as the three explain to him how to play poker, the young boy's expression a bit confused as he listens to the Emily, who's kneeled beside him. At one point, Reid lets out an offended, "Hey!", and JJ has to take a sip of her wine to hide an amused chuckle. She's still sitting at the table talking with Tara and Rossi, an empty plate that once held a piece of Garcia's famous cherry cheesecake in place of a "normal" birthday cake in front of her.

JJ thinks that she's never been this happy on her birthday before, can hardly remember a birthday of hers she's enjoyed as much as this one. She's surrounded by people she considers family, _real_ family. At this point, she feels as if Garcia and Reid were like her siblings, sees them just as much. Even if Luke, Matt and Tara weren't on the team from the beginning, JJ considers them just as much of her family as everyone else, feels just as comfortable with them as she does with the _"_ OG" team members. Rossi, long ago dubbed the unofficial "official BAU dad", fills a paternal role in her life she was so desperately lacking after her own parents disowned her for her relationship with Emily. Rossi never judged them, always supported them openly, proudly and fiercely. He loved them both no matter what, became such a prominent figure in JJ's life that even her kids had begun to affectionately refer to him as "Pop-Pop" (which he absolutely adores). She glances down at the ring Emily gifted her on her finger, stomach fluttering with affection as she remembers exactly what it represents, _who_ it represents. It makes her feel complete, like everyone she cares about in the world is here with her.

It's perfect.

"JJ, you alright?" Tara calls over to the blonde, eyebrow raising questionably. "You've gone quiet on us." Rossi looks over at her with a secret smile, eyes catching the ring with a slight nod, silently understanding.

Shaking her head slowly, JJ is quick to reassure Tara with a warm smile. "Yeah, I'm okay. I'm just... really happy. This is the best birthday I've had in a long time."

Rossi reaches over and gives her hand a assuring squeeze, Tara reciprocating her smile easily. "Well, I'm glad we could be a part of it."

Henry joins the table and sits down beside his mom, frowning slightly. "Poker's hard," he complains, resting his head on her shoulder with a pout. JJ lightly scratches a hand through his hair sympathetically, biting her cheek to hide an amused smile.

"Poker with Spencer Reid is hard," Tara corrects the young bog with a playful smirk at Reid over Henry's shoulder.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, buddy. It's only hard because your Uncle Spencer cheats," Emily tells Henry, rubbing his back reassuringly as she sits down beside him. "100% cheats," Penelope confirms as she takes the seat beside Emily.

"I do not cheat," Reid defends himself, sitting beside Henry on the opposite side of the women. "They're just sore losers, Henry. Don't listen to them because they're bitter."

"Oh no, you totally cheat, Spence," JJ teases the man, propping her elbow up on the table and resting her chin in her palm with a playful smirk. "We all know you do."

Palms up in surrender, Spencer pouts dramatically for a few seconds before reaching out and getting himself a second helping of cheesecake. "Doesn't mean you guys _aren't_ sore losers," he mutters, ducking out of the way with a grin when Emily tosses a napkin she's balled up at his head.

Penelope gently nudges the brunette, almost choking on her glass of wine as she eagerly snaps her fingers rapidly, as if remembering something. "Emily, tell Jayje what the Ambassador said earlier!"

"Your mother called?" the blonde asks her partner curiously, raising an eyebrow over at her. Emily and her mother's relationship had never been conventional, or even _good._ Yet, ever since the Ambassador had come over to JJ's house for Thanksgiving, she had grown a soft spot for the blonde and her children and had begun to patch what little could be saved of her relationship with her daughter. It was still strained, still rocky and far from perfect, but Elizabeth Prentiss was _trying_ , and honestly, that's all Emily ever wanted from her mother.

"Mm!" Emily agrees through a mouthful of wine, nodding before she swallows. "She told me to tell you happy birthday and that she's giving us her cabin just outside of Roanoke for the weekend."

"Her summer cabin?" JJ asks in surprise.

The brunette agent nods, mirroring her partner's posture with a smile. "That very one," she confirms. "She insisted we use it to take a break, get away from everything for a few days..."

"The boys?"

"Mom, Uncle Spence and Aunt Penelope are taking us to Comic Con tomorrow. It's all weekend. We're staying at Aunt Penelope's tonight and going to the con tomorrow," Henry reminds his mother patiently.

Moving her head up to her forehead, the blonde grimaces slightly, swearing under her breath. "Is that really this weekend? I haven't even gotten costumes or bags packed or anything!" She glances over at Emily when her girlfriend gently rubs reassuring circles on her lower back to soothe her.

Garcia reaches over and pats her best friend's shoulder comfortingly, smirking. "Oh, Jay, honestly it's adorable how under prepared you think I am. I had costumes commissioned from a friend as soon as I got tickets, sweetness."

"I'm going as Beast Boy on day one, Captain Lars from Steven Universe on day two, and a Madelorian from Star Wars on day three!" the blonde's older son lists off excitedly. "Aunt Penelope showed me pictures of the costumes, they're amazing! And I get to be green _and_ pink!"

"Body paint. And, I found a company that sells temporary, washable hair dye that have the exact colors we need for your hair," Garcia tells her godson with an excited smile, beaming when he looks just as excited about the findings. She perks up more when she sees Matt and Luke coming back up to the patio, reaching out to take Michael from Luke. "And this cutie right here is going as the classic Spiderman, Hiro Hamada from Big Hero 6 and the cutest baby Yoda DC Comic Con will ever see," she lists off, gently tapping the sleepy toddler's nose with a quiet, "Boop," grinning when he giggles softly in response, resting his head on her shoulder.

Reassured by Penelope's responses and Emily's touch, JJ relaxes and raises an eyebrow playfully. "You're dressing my son up as the goblin from Star Wars?"

"Hey, hey, now. Yoda is _not_ a goblin," Luke defends as he sits down in between Rossi and Garcia.

"He is a Jedi _master_. Put some respect on his name, Agent Jareau," Matt jabs playfully.

"Yoda's an essential character to the franchise," Reid chimes in as he polishes off the remainder of his cheesecake, scraping every bit off his plate with the side of his fork. "He trained Luke Skywalker to use the force in order for him to defeat the Galactic Empire. He's actually the oldest canonical character in the franchise..."

"Oh jeez," Tara jokes lightly, rolling her eyes over at JJ playfully. Rossi looks completely and utterly lost as he stares blankly over at the genius as he drones on and on about the fictional character. Emily smirks in amusement, gently squeezing her girlfriend's waist. "You just had to get him started, huh?" she whispers in JJ's ear teasingly.

"Okay, okay, I get it. Yoda's not a goblin," the blonde surrenders, reaching over and patting Reid's arm to pause his ramblings. "Please tell me you'll send me a ton of pictures," she says, looking over at her best friends hopefully.

"Bold of you to assume we won't be recording the whole thing," Spence smirks, not seeming the least bit offended about having been stopped in his rantings.

"There will be _plenty_ of pictures," Penelope swears.

Humming contently, JJ smoothes a hand over Henry's hair. "You boys got bags packed?"

"Already done," Emily is quick to reassure her girlfriend. "I got them packed before we started on breakfast this morning."

Eyes softening at the statement, JJ leans over and pecks the older woman's cheek as a thanks. "Are we heading out after work?"

"Well..." the brunette drawls out, glancing over thankfully at Tara when she gently interrupts. "Actually, you guys are heading out tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow morning?" JJ repeats in confusion, a little bit bewildered. "Babe, we gotta go in and finish up our reports before tomorrow evening."

"No, you don't," Matt says with a grin, sitting back in his chair, gesturing around at himself, Tara, Rossi and Luke. "We're taking care of it."

JJ stares at the four in shock, shaking her head firmly. "No, no, guys, you don't even have to come in tomorrow."

"We know that," Rossi assures her with a warm smile.

"You guys always stay behind on the weekends Will has the boys to help us with _our_ reports," Luke starts off.

"Plus, you guys have saved our a..." Tara clears her throat with a glance towards a nearly sleeping Michael, smiling sheepishly. "Behinds," she corrects before continuing, "So many times that this is the least we could do."

"And with the four of us doing the work of two agents, we'll be out of the office earlier than we would on a normal work day," Matt concludes.

JJ's eyes water at their gesture, turning to Emily, who ducks her head with a shy smile. "They were _very_ persistent and wouldn't take no for an answer, even more so when I offered to go in to help."

"You deserve a break," Rossi waves her off. "Both of you do. You work too hard. Take some extra time to step away from the craziness of it all."

"Consider it a birthday present from all of us," Luke adds with a nod.

JJ swallows thickly, biting her lip to keep her tears from falling at the team's offer, at their words. "I love you guys. Thank you so much for tonight."

Leaning over and pressing a kiss to the top of the blonde's head, Rossi raises his wine glass up in the air. "A toast to one of the best damn profilers, one of the most caring mothers, and one of the most selfless people I have ever met," he says with a nod in JJ's direction. "Happy birthday, _bella._ Here's to many, many more." A bit louder and a quick look around the table, he concludes his toast with a smile. "To JJ."

Everyone parrots his words softly, as to not disturb the now sleeping Michael in Garcia's arms, raising their own wine glasses (Henry raises his own glass of Hawaiian Punch) and gently clinking them together. Emily's fingers draw soothing, random shapes on the blonde's side underneath her shirt as the conversation continues around them, chiming in now and again. JJ rests her head against Emily's shoulder, her own fingers massaging her older son's scalp soothingly as he lays his head against her. She feels very content at the moment, her eyes closing at her girlfriend's touch, at the way her son leans into her.

Everyone starts to disperse shortly after that, Luke, Matt and Tara all give JJ a hug, telling her "happy birthday" again before they all leave. Rossi and Reid make quick work of the minimal mess there is to clean up, Emily standing up to help them as they start on the dishes. Garcia moves inside with Michael, sitting inside on the couch as Henry goes and grabs their sleepover bags. Before Rossi leaves, he gestures to the half consumed bottle of wine in his hand and the refrigerator. "There's a new bottle of this same wine I put in there earlier. Go ahead and take that with you tomorrow," he says before giving both JJ and Michael a gentle kiss on the top of their heads and both Emily and Henry a one armed hug. "Have fun and don't do anything I wouldn't do. I'll see you two on Monday," he says with a knowing smirk before heading off to his car.

The brunette snorts lowly, wrapping her arms around JJ's waist from behind. "And that's not a lot," she murmurs lowly in the blonde's ear, smiling wide when she swats playfully at her. "Behave," JJ warns with a smile as they both head back inside to say goodbye to Spencer, Penelope and the blonde's sons.

Emily gives both Reid and Garcia tight, grateful hugs (careful to avoid crushing Michael), before placing a kiss on the sleeping toddler's cheek, giving Henry a hug and kissing the top of his head. JJ's goodbyes are similar, except she takes Michael in her arms briefly and places a lingering kiss on his temple, murmuring a gentle "I love you," on his skin before passing him back off to Penelope. She gives Henry a kiss on his forehead, squeezing him in a hug. "You boys listen to Spence and Penelope, okay?"

"We will mom," Henry promises softly, his arms wrapped just as tightly around his mom.

"They're always angels," Penelope promises JJ with a light smile. "They're great kids."

"I know," JJ smiles softly, lightly running her fingers through Henry's hair before giving him another kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too," Henry responds.

"You guys have fun. Call us as soon as you get to the hotel," Emily says softly.

"We will, Emily," Henry assures, going over and giving the older woman one more hug. "We love you."

"Love you both, too," the brunette responds with a soft smile. "Good night."

"Night!" the older child responds with just as soft of a smile, following Spencer out the door.

"Send tons pictures and videos!" JJ reminds Garcia as she heads to the door.

"You know I will," Penelope promises with a gentle smile. "Have fun you two," she adds in with a sly smirk, carefully shutting the door behind her as she exits.

"You really do look good in that hat," the brunette chuckles as JJ finally takes it off from her head. She sets it down on the countertop, messing a hand through her hair. "It's cute."

"Just wait until we make _you_ wear one on your birthday, Agent Prentiss," the younger woman teases, laughing lightly when her girlfriend looks slightly horrified at the statement. "You wouldn't."

"It's a rule," JJ reminds her in a sing song voice, reassuring the brunette with a soft kiss and another soft laugh. "I guess I won't _make_ you wear one," she relents. "Though, I couldn't say the same for Penelope and Spence. Or the boys. The boys will 100% make you wear it."

Sighing softly and unable to help herself, the brunette smiles on the younger woman's lips. "You're lucky it's your birthday and you're so damn cute, otherwise your teasing would be _very_ mean." The blonde just shrugs innocently, smiling wide when her girlfriend kisses her cheek.

Emily wraps her arms around JJ's frame once more, gently swaying with her before lightly kissing her temple. "I love you so much," she murmurs genuinely on her skin, planting a few light, gentle kisses against the curve of the blonde's jaw. JJ turns her head slightly, meeting her girlfriend's lips in a kiss, one hand cupping Emily's cheek and the other laying against the arms around her waist.

Their kiss is soft, unhurried and so gentle, the older woman sighing softly against JJ's lips when her nimble fingers stroke her hair at the base of her skull. By the time the blonde pulls away slightly, they're both panting quietly, lips swollen and pupils dilated ever so slightly. Unraveling herself from her girlfriend's hold, JJ takes Emily's hand, gently kissing her knuckles before guiding her up the stairs towards the bedroom.

She connects their lips more fiercely once the brunette reaches the landing, pulling the older woman head's down for a better angle, cupping the back of her neck. JJ backs into the bedroom carefully pulling Emily by the shirt with her when the back of her knees hit the bed. The older woman hovers above her without breaking their kiss, holding herself up with one hand while the other runs underneath the thin material of JJ's t-shirt, cool palm soothing the warm skin of her stomach.

It catches her off guard when JJ flips them carefully, moving both her hands to Emily's waist as she presses the older woman into the mattress. At the slight hitch of her partner's breath, the blonde pulls away slightly, eyes searching Emily's face for any sign of discomfort.

Reassuring the blonde by running a hand through blonde tresses and gently scratching her nails at the base of her skull, the brunette's gaze softens, smiling softly, genuinely. JJ, comforted by the assurance, gives Emily one more soft, lingering kiss on the lips before moving her lips to the area just below her ear, teeth lightly scraping the area. Emily keens beneath her at the action, hand tangling in her girlfriend's hair. A soft gasp escapes her lips when JJ lightly nips at the area, fingers making quick, precise work of undoing the buttons of the brunette's blouse, carefully moving the material off her shoulder and off the side of the bed.

Their lips meet again, more fervently but just as softly, as JJ's hands caress up Emily's back, fingers soothing across muscle and the bumps of her spine. With a simple flick of her fingers and with just as much practiced ease, the younger woman has Emily's bra undone.

Their eyes meet as the blonde carefully remove the piece of clothing from her girlfriend, Emily's breaths coming out as soft pants. Her eyes are dark, nearly black with desire, with so much love it makes JJ's heart clench in the most pleasant of ways.

Her breath hitches again when the younger woman's fingers carefully, soothingly dance along the blackbird tattoo covering the clover scar on her chest, barely audible whimper sounding at the back of her throat when JJ grazes her lips against the skin. Fingers stroking soothingly against the blonde's scalp and biting her lip, Emily buries her face in JJ's hair as she takes a nipple in her mouth and teases the area with her tongue. "Jennifer..." she murmurs breathily, hips twitching involuntary. She gently tugs on the blonde strands beneath her fingertips, pulling JJ away from her long enough for them both to push up her t-shirt and form fitting sports bra.

Running her hands soothingly up the older woman's side and maintaining eye contact, JJ pushes herself down the bed. Her lips trail kisses down Emily's stomach, taking the time to lovingly place a few light kisses against the jagged pink scar on her abdomen.

Nimble fingers make quick work of the brunette's belt buckle, the sound of metal clicking together mingling with another low whimper Emily releases. JJ undoes the belt slowly, popping the button to the black pants and zipper just as steadily. Emily groans impatiently into the pillow beside her head, breathily sighing out, "Jennifer," as she stretches on the bed.

Kissing her way down pale legs as she tugs off the pants, the blonde's breath is hot as she moves back up, nipping at creamy, soft thighs. She never leaves marks and never bites down hard, is always methodical and careful when they're together like this. She peers up at Emily, who glances down at her through hooded lids. Her chest is heaving, lips wet and swollen, fingers softly running through her hair.

Even after years and years of being with Emily like this, JJ constantly finds herself surprised (and maybe a _little_ bit smug) with just how _wet_ the brunette gets when they're together. She swallows audibly, leaning her cheek against the skin of the older woman's thigh and moaning softly at the sight of the damp patch barely visible on the black material. Pressing one more kiss just below her bellybutton, the blonde hooks her fingers underneath the waistband of Emily's underwear and pulling them off.

Ever so softly, JJ brings up two fingers to rub circles around Emily's clit, grazing through her wetness, careful to avoid dipping inside; her girlfriend didn't like being penetrated, before they come back up and repeat the process. The brunette's moans are choked and soft, fingers tighten in her hair, tugging carefully on the locks as her legs flex around JJ's frame. Her plea, while not spoken outloud, if clear: _don't tease_.

So she doesn't.

Her tongue darts out, trailing up through Emily until she flicks her clit lightly. Mouth open to protest, to beg, the brunette gently moans out into the room when JJ suckles on her clit firmly, hips jumping up at the sudden, intense contact. The blonde wraps her arms around the brunette's thighs, moving her head in time with every jump and jerk of her hips. Her hands travel up Emily's body, immediately grabbing onto her girlfriend's freehand when she desperately grasps for it. Her other hand rests on the brunette's side, thumb rubbing soothing, loving circles onto her lover's skin.

She can feel the way Emily's muscles clench when she's close, sees the way she turns her head into the pillow to pant and moan desperately into the material. Fingers giving the older woman's an encouraging squeeze and a few more comforting circles on her side, Emily's hips twitch rapidly as she climaxes. JJ comes up and kisses her gently, thumb replacing her mouth as she rubs a series of quick circles on her clit to help her down.

The brunette whines into the younger woman's mouth, mind swirling deliriously and body twitching involuntary in the afterglow. She gently sucks JJ's bottom lip into her mouth, savoring the way she presses her hips down against her own at the action. Their interlocked hands fall on the blonde's bare waist, her other hand cupping her girlfriend's cheek as their kiss deepens. Groaning softly into Emily's mouth, JJ pulls away slightly to pant out as she grinds herself down on the muscular thigh beneath her.

Whining softly, the blonde closes her eyes as she presses hot, open mouthed kisses against the older woman's cheek as her clit bumps the jut of Emily's hipbone _just_ right through the remaining, thin layers of clothing she has on. Stopping her movements with a gentle, but firm grasp of her hips, Emily catches JJ's protesting gasp into her mouth. She's quick to pull off the rest of her girlfriend's clothes off, tossing pants and completely _soaked_ underwear off somewhere in the room.

They both moan at how wet JJ is as she sits back down on Emily's thigh, spreading the wetness around when she grinds herself down purposefully against the firm muscle. She continues to place open mouth kisses onto the brunette's cheek, gripping onto her hair gently when the older woman kisses her jaw. "Feels s'good," she mumbles onto Emily's skin with a moan, gasping when she feels fingers teasing her hard, sensitive nipples. "Fuck," she curses, closing her eyes and moving faster on her girlfriend's thigh.

" 'm so close," she moans out breathily, crying out softly as Emily takes a nipple in between her lips. "I got you," the older woman murmurs reassuringly against her skin, guiding JJ's hips with one arm. "I got you."

Hiding her face in Emily's hair, the blonde pants, closes her eyes and cries out as she climaxes, riding it out on her girlfriend's thigh. She gasps when Emily unexpectedly pulls her up her body, briefly looking up between JJ's thighs, subtly relaxing when the blonde runs a finger through nearly black locks. Emily pulls the blonde down when she's settled above her face and immediately attaches her lips to her already sensitive clit.

The younger woman's orgasm comes quickly, especially with the way Emily's eating her out and flicking her clit _just the way she likes_. She gasps out, choking on a moan as she comes down, unsteadily dismounting her girlfriend's face with shaking legs.

Slowly she lays down beside the older woman, pulling her in for a passionate kiss, moaning softly at the taste of herself on the other woman's lips. Emily's hands caress her sides gently, palms smoothing over her skin as they eventually pull away. They're both flushed, still slightly panting, and have baby hairs clinging to their foreheads with sweat.

Taking the brunette in her arms, JJ presses a kiss to the top of her girlfriend's head, tucking locks of hair behind her ear. "I love you, too," she finally responds from Emily's earlier declaration of love. "So much. More than I've loved anyone before. I don't think I've ever been this happy, this content with another person romantically until you came along," she confesses quietly.

"You make me feel complete," Emily responds simply, voice cracking near the and of her statement. "You _and_ the boys," she corrects after a small pause. "I never, ever thought that I would get something as good as this, deserve a family like you and the kids. Every day I wake up and feel incredibly grateful that you've accepted me into you life. That your boys have accepted me into theirs."

"They've loved you from day one," JJ swears thickly, swallowing hard. "You complete our family. We're grateful for _you_."

Another soft kiss is exchanged between them, Emily relaxing into JJ's arms with a soft, content sigh. The blonde exhales softly to compose herself, pressing one more kiss to the top of the brunette's head. "I love you. Thank you for everything you did for me, for the boys, today."

"That's what family's for," comes Emily's soft response. "You all deserved it." Kissing JJ's chest once, she leans her cheek there, arms wrapping around the younger woman's waist. "I love you, too. Get some sleep, we got a long drive to the cabin tomorrow."

Closing her eyes and resting her cheek on top of Emily's head with a secret smile, JJ murmurs, "Any chance you'll let me do at least half of the driving tomorrow?"

Her smile widens briefly when she feels Emily's own smirk on her skin. "When it qualifies as your birthday present? Not a chance in the world."


End file.
